Like their modern counterparts, the 'first ladies' of Rome were shaped to meet the political needs of their emperors, whether they were fathers, husbands, brothers, or lovers. But the women proved to be both liabilities and assets - Augustus' daughter Julia was accused of affairs with at least five men, Claudius' wife Messalina was a murderous tease who cuckolded and humiliated her elderly husband, while Fausta tried to seduce her own stepson and orchestrated his execution before boiling him to death as a punishment.

In The First Ladies of Rome, Annelise Freisenbruch reveals the characters whose identities resonated through the ages, from the virtuous wife, the sexually voracious schemer, and the shrewd political operator, to the flighty intellectual, the religious icon, and the romantic heroine. Using a rich variety of literary, artistic, archaeological, and epigraphic evidence, this book uncovers for the first time the vibrant and complex story of some of the most fascinating women in history, and the vivid roles of empresses as political players on Rome's grand stage.

Pages: 416, Dimensions: 13x13cm